1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to semiconductor device packages, and in particular to flip chip packages. More specifically, the invention relates to heat spreaders embedded with a bypass capacitor and their corresponding methods of fabrication.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a semiconductor device package, a semiconductor chip (also referred to as an integrated circuit (IC) chip or “die”) may be bonded directly to a package substrate. Such a die is formed with ball-shaped beads or bumps of solder affixed to its I/O bonding pads. During packaging, the die is “flipped” onto its front surface (e.g., active surface) so that the bumps form electrical connections between the die and conductive metal pads on a package substrate. A semiconductor device package of this type is commonly called a “flip chip package”. As used herein, a flip chip package may include the packaging, the die, and/or their corresponding components.
A flip chip package is generally coupled to a printed circuit board (PCB) and powered by a system power supply located thereon. The system power supply is often connected to a system ground (ideally at 0V). The system power supply is also connected through power and ground leads to the flip chip package's power and ground planes for operating the flip chip package. Since the system power supply is often located a substantial distance away from the flip chip package, a long time delay and large inductance associated with the power and ground leads are introduced into the flip chip package's power delivery system. The flip chip package's power delivery system includes among other things all the connections between the flip chip package components (e.g., drivers) and their power sources (e.g., system power supply). As a result, the flip chip package components as well as the flip chip package as a whole operate in a suboptimal manner.
During its operation, a flip chip package may experience some degree of simultaneous switching noise (SSN). This may occur when multiple drivers switch simultaneously causing a voltage ripple in the flip chip package's power delivery system and offsetting the voltage reference within the flip chip package from its specified value. This voltage reference shift is commonly known as SSN and is exacerbated by the increased number of multiple drivers switching simultaneously in today's flip chip packages and the large inductance introduced by the earlier mentioned power and ground leads. As a result, SSN may cause errors in the operation of the die (e.g., drivers not responding correctly). Therefore, the more SSN present, the less reliable the flip chip package will become.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide improved flip chip packages and corresponding packaging methods that can provide substantially instant power and/or control the amount of SSN, thereby, improving package performance.